Cement based compositions have found broad use as grouts and mortars. In particular, cement based compositions have been used for setting and grouting tile, for stuccos, for floor leveling and for patching mortars.
The addition of pigments or dyes to cement based compositions is well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,876 teaches a pigment containing thixotropic slurry that can be stored in drums for 6-12 months by a cement contractor and used in a batching system. See also: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,199,986, 3,667,976, 4,946,505, United Kingdom Patent No. 2,183,626, German Patent No. 3,709,909 and WO 92/12102 which are incorporated herein by reference and generally describe pigmented cement compositions. Traditionally, the addition of dyes or pigments to cement based compositions have been directed to large scale applications where highly sophisticated measuring devices have been available to insure correct color uniformity and shading.
Pigmented or colored cement based compositions such as grout, mortars and stuccos have been gaining popularity because they provide unique and distinctive appearances to various projects. In particular, colored cement compositions have gained popularity for small scale projects such as residential kitchens and baths.
Unfortunately, these small customized color cement composition projects are limited because the laborer does not have access to sophisticated measuring devices which can be used to consistently produce various quantities of the cement based compositions with a uniform color. More importantly, retailers and distributors will not stock a wide variety of colored mortars, grouts and stuccos because demand for a particular color or shade is not great enough to justify the large volume of shelf and storage space required to provide a full spectrum of colors and shades.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-component system and method that can consistently produce a cement based composition with a uniform color without the need for sophisticated measuring equipment.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a multi-component system that can consistently produce a cement based composition with a uniform color which will allow a retailer or distributor to stock a full spectrum of colors and shades of cement based compositions, with minimum shelf space.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a multi-component system and method that can consistently produce a cement based composition with a uniform color which has little or no volatile organic components which can be emitted.
It is still a further objective of the present invention to provide an aqueous based pigment composition with a prolonged shelf life and which can be easily added to a dry cement based composition without the need of additional water or property enhancing components.